House of Assembly Opens Today

The House of Assembly is opening today for the continuation of the 2018 spring session.

It’s the first time that MHAs will be back in the House since they began an extended Easter break at the end of March.

Today also marks St. John’s Centre MHA Gerry Rogers’ start as the newly-minted leader of the NDP.

Rogers won the leadership when she defeated MUN economist Alison Coffin at the 2018 NDP leadership convention earlier this month, taking 67 per cent of the vote.

A new PC leader will be chosen at the end of the month. Ches Crosbie and Tony Wakeham are running for the party’s top position. The party will select a new leader at its leadership convention on April 28 in St. John’s.

The House of Assembly takes one more week-long constituency break before the summer break, which is scheduled to start when the House closes at the end of May.

Government Surplus and Public Benefit Two Different Things, Says New NDP Leader

Meanwhile, the newly elected NDP leader says people around the province need change.

Gerry Rogers says there is a lot of work to be done. What she’s been hearing when traveling around the province is that people are tired of the same old, same old.

Only two NDP members have seats in the house – the MHA for St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi, Lorraine Michael, and Rogers, MHA for St. John’s Centre. Rogers is the first openly-gay leader of a political party in Newfoundland and Labrador history.

While the Liberals continue to emphasize their goal of reaching surplus, Rogers says the growing unemployment rate is something that should be at the forefront of government’s agenda.

She says we are already seeing the effects of automation, and that our young people are being told clearly there are no jobs here. We are moving toward 20% unemployment. It’s one thing for government to say where they’re going and what they’re doing, but their talk-down approach isn’t going to work.